1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slide fastener comprising reflective tapes as separate bodies which have a certain degree of rigidity and have bulging edge portions with reflective portions on their surfaces, the reflective tapes being attached along fastener elements so as to form reflective portions on surfaces beside of the fastener elements of the slide fastener at constant intervals. The slide fastener reflects light when illuminated at night such that a presence of the fastener can be clearly indicated and recognized.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a conventional slide fastener as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 63-135390, wherein a retroreflective sheet is adhered or bonded to a portion of a surface of each fastener tape of the slide fastener.
There is also a tape for a slide fastener as disclosed in Taiwan Patent No. 284984, wherein a retroreflective tape is woven into a woven fastener tape to appear on front and rear surfaces of the fastener tape in a longitudinal direction by holding the retroreflective tape by every several wefts such that the retroreflective tape is adjacent to a fastener element attaching portion.
Furthermore, there is a reflective tape as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 4-7689, wherein one longitudinal edge of a tape as a reflective tape is hollow-woven and a single yarn formed by finely slitting a reflective film into yarns is woven into the hollow-woven portion to form a reflective tape.
There is also a slide fastener as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 64-39024, wherein an elastic band having a bulging portion at an edge portion is sewn along one longitudinal edge of the band on a rear face of a fastener tape such that the bulging portion is positioned on a fastener element side and the bulging portions come into contact with each other when a fastener is closed.
In the tape for the slide fastener according to the first example of the foregoing prior art, because the retroreflective sheet is attached to the surface of the fastener tape by adhering means or bonding means, the retroreflective sheet may peel off the fastener tape in use of the slide fastener and there is uncertainty about if the tape for the slide fastener can effectively and properly exhibit its reflective function for the long term. Moreover, because a retroreflective portion is flat, a three-dimensional reflecting function can not be expected.
In the tape for the slide fastener according to the second example, the retroreflective tape does not peel off the fastener tape. However, because the fastener tape is a woven tape and the retroreflective tape is woven into by wefts such that the tape is adjacent to fastener elements, the slider slides on a face of the retroreflective tape in opening and closing operations by the slider. Therefore, the retroreflective tape may suffer fretting damage and has a problem with its durability. Moreover, a three-dimensional reflecting function can not be expected.
In the reflective tape according to the third example, because both the foundation woven portion and hollow-woven portion are flexible and are easily dented by pressure, the reflective tape is suitable as a beaded edge for clothes, bags, or the like. However, because the hollow-woven portion does not have rigidity, the three-dimensional reflective function can not be expected when the reflective tape is used with the slide fastener in an opening portion of the clothes, bags, or the like.
Next, because the band which has the bulging portion at the edge portion thereof and is used in the slide fastener according to the fourth example is disposed not on a front side but on an inner side, i.e., a rear face of an opening edge of a bag or the like, it is impossible to dispose the band such that the bulging portion appears on the front face of the fastener tape to exhibit ornamental effects of the slide fastener, i.e., a three-dimensional reflecting function.